'This Week' Transcript: George Mitchell and King Abdullah II

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2011

Page 7 of 16

ABDULLAH: Well, there's two aspects to this. Obviously, when
this was started in Tunis, was because of the world economic crisis, a
large portion of youth in the Middle East that are suffering from
economic hardships, that want a better life. So it was economic
frustration and -- and desires that led, I think, to political
awakening, that they want to be able to chart their own destiny.

AMANPOUR: The latest polls say about two-thirds, maybe even
three-quarters of Jordanians want democracy. What are you as King
Abdullah going to do to realize that dream?

ABDULLAH: From right at the beginning of -- of this, we brought
all sectors of society together. We created what we called sort of
the national dialogue to all sit around the table and decide what it
is that Jordanians want. The committee has embarked on two laws, a
new election law and new political party law, which is I think
critical for the future of Jordan. We'll have new elections at the
end of the year, and it will be the start of new democracy in our
country.

AMANPOUR: In Jordan, 13 percent of the people polled say they
have a positive view of the United States. Americans are concerned
that a new democracy in your country and elsewhere could be an
Islamist scary future. Do you feel that that is possible in Jordan?

ABDULLAH: Not in Jordan. It could be possible elsewhere. In my
particular position, I have the responsibility to lead the debate in
the right direction. And I think Jordan will move towards the light;
I have no worries about Jordan.

I don't know how in other countries they're developing. And each
country in the Middle East is different. You alluded to the United
States not being very popular, but, again, we've got to remember, the
reason I think for the most part where America is not popular is
because its perceived lack of ability to move the Israeli-Palestinian
process forward.

AMANPOUR: In your book, you're pretty relentless about
criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Is he an obstacle to
peace?

ABDULLAH: Well, in my discussions with him -- and they've been,
I think, very thorough -- when he speaks to me, I see his vision of
peace for the Palestinians, peace for the Arabs, and I've always left
those meetings feeling very optimistic.

But unfortunately, the circumstances that we've seen on the
ground for the past two years does not fill me with much -- much hope.
I just have a feeling that we're going to be living with the status
quo for 2011. And as you well know, whenever we -- we accept the
status quo, we do so until there is another war. And so that is of
tremendous concern to me.

AMANPOUR: Do you feel that there might be another war?

ABDULLAH: Well, if you look to the past 10 years, every two to
two-and-a-half years there's either the intifada or a war or a
conflict. So looking back over the past 12 years, my experience shows
me that if we ignore the Israeli-Palestinian issue, something will
burst.

AMANPOUR: Israel is saying that it cannot have peace talks with
a group like Hamas, who they deem is terrorists. America, as well,
deems Hamas to be a terrorist organization. And yet before everybody
was saying we can't have peace talks because the Palestinians are
divided. How to get beyond that?